Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was 26 and a University of Washington graduate with a degree in psychology. A friend of hers told the Associated Press that Eygi “loved humanity, loved people, loved life so much that she just wanted to help as many as she could.” Eygi, who had American and Turkish citizenship, traveled to the West Bank with the pro-Palestinian activist group International Solidarity Movement. She was killed by Israeli soldiers while participating in a demonstration.
To be sure, Eygi knew she was heading into a dangerous, volatile situation with the potential for violence. But she was there as a nonviolent protester, and a well-trained military should be able to distinguish between threatening and nonthreatening conduct.
The US government should demand a full and transparent investigation by Israeli authorities into Eygi’s death. Her family and friends deserve to know: Did the soldier who killed her abide by the military’s rules of engagement or did they violate military policy? Did the military have appropriate policies in place to protect the right to peacefully protest while identifying those who pose a violent threat? Any soldier or officer who is found to have violated the Israel Defense Forces rules of engagement should be disciplined, and any military rules that were inadequate to protect nonviolent protesters should be changed.
The IDF released a statement following its initial inquiry into Eygi’s death, which found that “it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot.” The military said the incident took place during “a violent riot in which dozens of Palestinian suspects burned tires and hurled rocks toward security forces.” These findings will be reviewed by the Military Advocate General’s Corps, an IDF legal unit similar to the US military’s JAG Corps.
That review should be a thorough one because reports have emerged that potentially contradict the IDF’s statement. The Washington Post reported, based on eyewitness interviews, videos, and photos provided by pro-Palestinian organizations, that the shooting occurred half an hour after the height of the confrontations — which included stone-throwing and burning tires — and about 20 minutes after protesters had moved down the road, 200 yards away from the soldiers. There did not appear to be much happening at the time the shots were fired, the Post reported. The Post said Eygi was standing near a 17-year-old Palestinian who was injured by shots, and it is unclear if he was the IDF’s target.
President Biden called the shooting “totally unacceptable,” while citing the IDF’s conclusions that it was a “tragic error resulting from an unnecessary escalation.” Biden said the United States has access to Israel’s preliminary investigation and expects continued access as the investigation unfolds. He called for “full accountability” and Israeli action to ensure incidents like this don’t happen again.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israeli security forces “need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement.” The IDF has not commented publicly on its rules of engagement, including policies around the use of live fire.
Eygi was not the only American shot amid recent flare-ups of violence in the West Bank, which are occurring amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. A New Jersey man, Daniel Santiago, says he was shot in the leg by Israeli forces during a Palestinian demonstration in the West Bank. The IDF said he was shot accidentally when bullets were fired in the air to disperse the protest.
Demanding justice for Eygi is not about choosing sides in the current conflict. This board has called for accountability for the 2022 killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist and US citizen who was killed — apparently unintentionally by the Israeli military — covering Israeli military action in the West Bank. This board has also called for justice for all the American citizens murdered by Hamas terrorists in Israel on and after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
Demanding justice for Eygi is about fulfilling the promise that America will seek to protect its citizens overseas.
Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.
